Beloved of St. Paul’s,
Over the past several months I have been praying about and working toward securing the future of Music at St. Paul’s. With the help of a great committee, five candidates were interviewed for the position of Organist and Director of Music. We brought three of these candidates to Wilmington for in-person visits which included time with me and the Wardens, an organ audition, and a rehearsal with the choir. Members of the committee included Bill Anlyan, Anne O’Dell, Lisa Hill, Renée Patrick, Elisabeth Sanders-Park, David Tousignant, and Phillip Weiss. The Reverend Dr. Bill Weisser served as a consultant to me throughout this process.
It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Brendan Conner as Organist and Director of Music. Brendan currently serves as the Associate Music Director at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Before his time at All Saints, he served as the Senior Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and in other Episcopal churches in Indiana and California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music at The University of California at Berkeley and his Master of Music in Organ Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Brendan is currently scheduled to complete his Doctorate in Music in 2024.
Brendan will be moving to Wilmington with his partner, Kira Garvie, who is also trained as a church musician. Brendan’s first Sunday at St. Paul’s will be Sept. 3.
You might be wondering what is going to happen with Dr. Bill. It is a joy to also announce that Dr. Bill will remain on staff to assist and support Brendan in his transition to this position.
We are very blessed at St. Paul’s to have so much support for the ministry of music. It is not possible without your abundant generosity. I am grateful. More will be forthcoming about how we can help support Brendan in his move to Wilmington.
Faithfully,
Caleb+